HISTORY IS MADE: Despite some polls suggesting a tight race, Hillary Clinton scored big in her pursuit of her goal to be the first female commander in chief. Clinton won Democratic primary contests in New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and just being called this morning: California. We’ve got all the election news as well as a look at what’s happening next with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Trump made an immediate appeal for Sanders supporters upset with a system “rigged” by super-delegates to vote for him.
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work for whatever reason, shoot us an email and we’ll be sure to add you to our list.
Want to learn more about Daily on Defense? See our introductory video here.
NDAA GRINDS FORWARD: The Senate made two small tweaks to the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday, bringing the grand total of amendments that have been considered to three. With more than 400 amendments introduced and leadership wanting to wrap up the bill on Friday, many will undoubtedly not be considered at all.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate approved an amendment to get rid of a required pilot program on the privatization of commissaries and also voted for a plan that would allow the Pentagon to do non-defense medical research.
It’s so far punted on a lot of the more controversial issues, like a new authorization for using military force against the Islamic State, whether women should be drafted and Sen. John McCain’s proposal to add almost $18 billion to the war chest.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters at the Capitol following the Senate’s weekly lunches on Tuesday that he was still aiming to finish up work on the NDAA bill by Friday, despite today’s address from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi eating into the Senate’s time to consider amendments this morning.
McConnell also said the defense spending bill will be up next in the full chamber. That bill increases spending on ships and aircraft by more than $2 billion above the president’s request, including $1 billion in fiscal 2017 alone to build a new ice breaker.
SENATE SPARRING: Sen. Ted Cruz took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to speak about the amendments he had introduced to the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill, but McCain quickly shot down the Texas Republican, who votes against the bill every year.
“I would be much more willing to consider that agenda if he would consider voting for the defense of this nation,” McCain said. Cruz said he wouldn’t support this year’s bill either over the “radical” proposal to require women to sign up for the Selective Service. See more of the fireworks here.
Speaking of sparring, another amendment that’s been introduced will pay homage to Muhammad Ali. Sen. Rand Paul said he’ll name his bill to eliminate the draft after the late boxer who “would stand on principle even when it was unpopular.”
“I agree with Muhammad Ali: If a war is worth fighting for it, people will volunteer,” Paul said.
SAW THAT COMING: Matching the veto threat it’s already issued for the House-passed bill, the White House released its veto threat against the Senate defense policy bill on Tuesday over provisions including Gitmo transfer restrictions and a cap on the size of the president’s National Security Council. Pete Kasperowicz has the story.
McCain blasted the veto threat a “sorry defense of the status quo.”
“In its laundry list of imaginary doomsday scenarios, the administration repeatedly misstates and misconstrues provisions of the NDAA, leaving one to wonder how closely administration officials read this legislation, or whether they read it at all,” he says.
While the Senate considers the defense policy bill, Republicans are continuing to hit Obama on military readiness that has struggled so much in recent years that troops are stripping parts off planes in museums to keep the current fleet in the air.
“The problem is military readiness accounts have been stretched thin and they haven’t been replenished. For years Peter has been robbed to pay Paul … the result is that only 60 percent of Marine Corps planes are ready to fly at a moment’s notice,” former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers said during a radio segment this week.
FOREIGN SALES: The Pentagon announced three yesterday–
— Boeing was awarded a $667 million contract to sell 24 AH-64E Apache helicopters to Qatar.
— AMTEC Corp. is selling 40mm grenade systems to Iraq for $84 million.
— Armtec Countermeasures received $25 million to build infrared countermeasure flares for Pakistan, Romania, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
In addition, Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems received a $600 million contract modification for Missile Defense Agency technical integration. The modification brings the total contract to $3.8 billion.
MESSAGE TO MOSCOW: A Polish-led NATO exercise is billed as the biggest in eastern Europe since the Cold War, with 30,000 troops from 24 different countries. The defensive exercise now underway is dubbed Anakonda 2016, and according to a U.S. Army Europe release, the U.S. is taking part to demonstrate that “the United States is dedicated to regional security.” Poland, by the way, is one of the very few nations that meets NATO guidelines to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense.
FUTURE ISLANDS: China isn’t just moving military equipment to its man-made reefs in the South China Sea. It’s also moving farms. David Wilkes has the story.
DEDICATION IN THE AIR: Canada’s aerial demonstration team, the Snowbirds, flew in missing-man formation this weekend in honor of the Blue Angels pilot who died last week. See the video here.
LATEST IN THE WHITMAN SAGA: Admitted license plate thief Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon official, has been reassigned to duties outside the building, according to USA Today. Whitman was upset about what he thought was a parking scofflaw, but turned out to be nanny working for a neighbor.
GARVER DEBUT: He’s got some very big combat boots to fill, but Army Col. Chris Garver will make his first appearance today, live via skype from Baghdad, to brief reporters on the war against the Islamic State. He’ll include an update on the stalled Fallujah offensive. The briefing begins at 12:30, and you can live stream it here.
VISITING MoDs: Both Sweden’s Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist and Montenegro’s Minister of Defense Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic drop by the Pentagon for visits today, but are being welcomed by Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is meeting face-to-face with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, seeking ideas for innovation that the Pentagon could adopt.
‘WHERE’S MY NEXT ROUND’? Today’s B-roll goodness comes courtesy of the Army’s C Battery 2-218 Field Artillery soldiers, firing their new BAE Systems’ M777A2 howitzers at Yakima Training Center in Washington.
GET THE TISSUES READY: NBC News has a touching video of firefighters saluting Bretagne, the last known 9/11 search and rescue dog, as she makes her final trip to the vet just before of her 17th birthday.
THE RUNDOWN
Air Force Times: Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots collide over Georgia, eject safely
Breaking Defense: US, Japan Sign Arms Trade Pact: Missile Defense Co-Production & More
UPI: EOD robot system passes critical design review
Defense News: US Senator: Modi Visit Heralds Defense Pact
UPI: Exelis gets Navy contract for fighter jet jammer
CNN: U.S.: Chinese jet makes ‘unsafe’ intercept of Air Force plane
Reuters: Exclusive: North Korea restarts plutonium production for nuclear bombs – U.S. official
Defense News: Hodges: Position of Rotational Brigade in Europe To Be Decided This Summer
Defense One: Afghanistan Needs a Settlement, Not Another Troop-Withdrawal Deadline
Foreign Policy: In San Bernardino, a Plea for Tolerance — Not Trump’s Terror Politics
Stars and Stripes: Trump says US allies should pay in full for military protection
Army Times: Army steps up partnerships in Africa amid growing terror threat
CNN: France braces for intense security around Euro 2016 championship
Navy Times: Blue Angels’ Fat Albert to fly pilot’s body home
9News: Thunderbird being moved from Colorado Springs crash site
Reuters: Russia deploys troops westward as standoff with NATO deepens
Task and Purpose: US Plans To Commit Combat Troops To NATO’s Eastern Flank
Associated Press: A confident Assad vows to ‘liberate’ every inch of Syria
New York Times: F.B.I. Steps Up Use of Stings in ISIS Cases
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 8
11 a.m. Pentagon Courtyard. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus gives remarks at the Pentagon’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month ceremony.
11:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on the future of NATO with Philip Breedlove, the former supreme allied commander of NATO. atlanticcouncil.org
THURSDAY | JUNE 9
8:30 a.m. 1777 F St. NW. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Robert Papp, the State Department’s special representative to the Arctic, will speak at an event on national security risks in the Arctic. cfr.org
11 a.m. 1777 F St. NW. The Council on Foreign Relations host the Congressional Security Task Force to discuss national security goals. cfr.org
2 p.m. Rayburn 2118. The House Armed Services Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee hold a hearing on stopping the flow of funding to terrorists. armedservices.house.gov
3 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Heritage Foundation hosts a panel to discuss the major foreign policy and defense issues related to Asia. heritage.org
5:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings Institution discusses the future of Islam and the Middle East through Shadi Hamid’s book, Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World. brookings.edu
FRIDAY | JUNE 10
11:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Hudson Institute discusses the dangers of a disinterested White House with ISIS in Iraq. hudson.org
1 p.m. Newseum, Washington D.C. Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks at the Defense One Tech Summit. defenseone.com
MONDAY | JUNE 13
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute host Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, for a maritime forces update. usni.org
10:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel Allyn discusses challenges the Army is facing during a speech at the Heritage Foundation. heritage.org
2:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Hudson Institute hosts Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S. to discuss the fight against the Taliban in light of the death of Mullah Mansour. hudson.org
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 15
8:45 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts two panels to discuss security implications in the Black Sea for NATO and its regional partners. atlanticcouncil.org
9 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Cato Institute hosts a day-long event on the case for restraint in U.S. foreign policy. cato.org
